They're called "biocompatible electronics" - tiny medical implants designed to dissolve into the body's tissues after they have done their work. Such devices may some day be used for fighting post-surgical infections, speeding bone development and a host of other medical applications.

Unlike conventional medical implants such as heart valves or hip replacements that are designed to last a lifetime, transient electronics are made with tiny, ultra-thin silicon chips, containing magnesium electrodes, that completely melt away when they have served their function. They're now being developed by a team of researchers at the University of Illinois, Northwestern University in Illinois and Tufts University in Massachusetts.

John Rogers is a University of Illinois engineering professor who leads the development team. Rogers envisions a number of medical applications for the new devices, which combine microchips with so-called nano-membranes that slowly melt when exposed to water or biofluids.

One example of that kind of device is in an applique, a thin film device that goes into the body at the site of a surgical incision to provide thermal therapy that can eliminate bacteria that would otherwise cause infection," said Rogers.

Rogers says the chip, which can be controlled wirelessly, is packaged in silk gathered from silkworm cocoons. Researchers can alter the structure of the silk, Rogers says, to pre-set how long the silicon chips last - from minutes to days, weeks or even longer.

Rogers and colleagues conducted experiments in which they slipped the silicon wafers into surgical incisions on mice. Rogers says the dissolvable chips, only a few tens of nanometers thick, heated the animals wounds for two weeks - just long enough to prevent infection and for healing to begin.

And in that type of time regime, its advantageous for the device to simply disappear," he said.

Scientists examining the mice a few weeks later saw little sign of infection and only a faint residue of the silicon wafer at the wound sites.

Rogers says the device's electrodes are made of magnesium, a naturally fluid-soluble material. The amount of magnesium on a single chip is less than most people consume every day through their diets or in a multi-vitamin.

The biodegradable technology might some day have a wide range of applications - from environmental monitoring to creating disposable and non-polluting consumer electronic products. But for now, researchers are focusing on the medical possibilities, including heart, brain and muscle activity monitors, as well as targeted drug delivery devices.

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Scientists Develop Vanishing Medical Device

"My friend just told me that he has to lose 10 pounds by next week ... isn't that unhealthy?" asked my 17-year-old son. Perplexed and troubled, he went on to say that unless his friend "starved" himself, he wouldn't "make his weight" for his wrestling team.

Unfortunately, this is not atypical. Anywhere from one-quarter to two-thirds of high school wrestlers use fasting, excessive exercise, unbalanced diets, and voluntary dehydration as techniques to help them achieve a fighting weight, according to some estimates. Ironically, these behaviors only sap athletes of the strength and energy needed to compete in this sport--and they're particularly dangerous for still-growing teens, who demand calories to fuel both mind and body. Furthermore, an improper diet can have a profoundly negative impact on learning and focusing at a time when students can barely afford to divert their attention from college applications and SAT's to rigorous after-school workouts and weekend tournaments.

In his 2001 report published in Contemporary Pediatrics, "Aiming for Healthy Weight for Wrestlers and Other Athletes," the late Vito Perriello, Jr., a pediatrician and pioneer in the field of sports medicine, wrote that participants of "weight-sensitive sports" are likelier to engage in unhealthy eating practices than are other athletes. Wrestlers in particular "feel that to succeed they must punish themselves in order to make themselves tougher," wrote Perriello, adding that they think they'll also "gain an advantage by competing at a lower weight." However, studies have determined that wrestling performance is optimal at one's ideal weight versus a lower weight, since the latter could cause weakness and reduced endurance.

While one tactic, voluntary dehydration, may make the numbers on the scale go down, it also cheats the body of the fluid it needs to protect the heart, kidneys, and brain, as well as to properly perform other vital bodily functions. Josh, a teen who competes for a high school team told me, "Although I know it's good to keep hydrated, to make weight I sometimes completely cut liquids out of my diet." But "before a match or after weigh-ins," Josh said, '"I usually stuff my face with sports drinks, water, and food to gain my weight back so I can feel good before I wrestle." This starvation-to-binge pattern is rampant among wrestlers.

Ben, a 12th-grade wrestler, seemed sensible when he said that when asked for diet advice from fellow teammates, he tells them, "Eat three meals a day to keep metabolism and energy up [because] you can't work out without the energy that food gives your body." Yet, in his next sentence, he admitted, "But if I'm still a little overweight one or two days before the weigh-in, I do fast and skip breakfast the morning of the weigh-in ... but I eat after." And he's not alone. Several other students, including Max, an 11th-grade wrestler, told me, "Although I know I probably shouldn't, I do usually binge after a weigh-in ... I try not to go overboard if my match is very soon after my weigh-in, but tournaments sometimes have weigh-ins the day before, though, so under those conditions I do eat as much as possible."

And it's not just the kids who are obsessed with weight. I recently overheard a conversation between two dads of teen wrestlers, who were discussing their sons' weight status. One said, "What's your son weighing now?" The other smiled and replied, "My son is down to 120 and will probably be 116 by the weekend ... but he's looking good." The method by which that weight would be lost didn't seem to be of concern. Many parents light the fire under extreme eating behaviors as well.

Although most wrestlers look to their coaches or teammates for tips on how to cut weight effectively, that doesn't guarantee that the advice they receive encourages safe weight loss. If a coach suspects that disordered eating practices are endangering a player, he should be suggesting a referral to a pediatrician or recommending a consultation with a registered dietitian. A player who is not in shape physically or mentally is not an asset to the team.

As Franklin D. Roosevelt and Spiderman's Uncle Ben similarly stated, "Great power involves great responsibility." It is so critically important that coaches provide the guidance young wrestlers need to fuel their growing bodies and minds. Poor habits at vulnerable times in life can set the stage for a lifetime of poor choices. When asked if he thought his eating habits reverted back to "normal" when not wrestling in the off-season, without hesitation, Josh responded, "No, wrestling has definitely affected my life in a way where I regularly don't eat normally. I constantly think about my weight and how much I weigh, so I can't just eat anything I want."

Young wrestlers need to learn that the number on the scale is not necessarily a reflection of their strength or state of health. During teen years, many important considerations must be weighed.

Hungry for more? Write to eatandrun@usnews.com with your questions, concerns, and feedback.

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Wrestling With Their Weight ... Literally

Unless theyve won the lottery or inherited a great deal of money, no one wakes up one day and suddenly cries out: Im rich! Creating and developing wealth is a process that takes time. The same thing holds true for diabetes. If youre not born with it, diabetes is a disease that some people develop over a period of time, as was the case for me.

According to the American Diabetes Association, 25.8 million children and adults in the United States 8.3 percent of the population have diabetes, and this is expected to double in 10 years. There are three pages of basic diabetes statistics, and they are frightening. This is a disease growing at epidemic proportions, yet most people dont understand diabetes and how it affects us.

In the spring of 2009, I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. I was 53 years old, weighed in excess of 250 pounds (my normal weight had always been 188 pounds). I felt miserable. I suffered from constant fatigue and was always irritable. I experienced continual hunger, thirst and had to urinate constantly. Worst of all, I lost my sex drive.

This didn't happen overnight. Despite what I thought was a healthy diet, I had been consuming far too many carbohydrates, especially for breakfast. Americans in particular eat desserts for breakfast. Croissants, sticky buns, buttered bagels and cereals loaded with sugar and processed carbohydrates are breakfast staples for most Americans.

Most people wrongly assume diabetes is about consuming sugar in the form of candy and sweets, but for many people (especially me) simple carbohydrates are the real enemy. Refined carbohydrates like white bread, rice and pasta are immediately converted to sugar and wreak havoc on the human body.

My breakfast (at 7 a.m.) consisted of shredded wheat (pure carbs) with a banana and a bagel (more carbs). By 10:30 a.m., I was always ravenously hungry and would eat some sort of fruit to hold me over until lunch. My lunch usually consisted of pasta primavera, which because of the vegetables I mistakenly presumed to be healthy. At age 49, despite regular exercise (running and weights), I began gaining 12 15 pounds a year and at age 53 found myself obese, miserable and a type 2 diabetic.

I went for a physical and discovered that my fasting blood sugar level was unacceptably high and my doctor prescribed Metformin, which helps manage insulin levels. He recommended I see an endocrinologist, who immediately informed me that I was a type 2 diabetic.

Type 2 is the most common form of diabetes, and according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, When you have Type 2 diabetes, your fat, liver, and muscle cells do not respond correctly to insulin. This is called insulin resistance. As a result, blood sugar does not get into these cells to be stored for energy. When sugar cannot enter cells, high levels of sugar build up in the blood. This is called hyperglycemia. If left unchecked, it will eventually damage nerves, blood vessels and lead to stroke and heart disease.

With the help of the Internet, I began doing research and found Duke Universitys Diet & Fitness Center, which had a one week program specializing in diabetes. Dukes basic concept is that diets dont work and you must adjust and (permanently) maintain a new lifestyle. Most diets treat people as abstractions, whether it involves 10 or 10,000 people. Duke considers the individual and after consulting with a doctor and a nutritionist, a diet is devised for that specific person. My week at Duke was a huge success, resulting in a loss of eight pounds.

The Duke diet is always based on a well-rounded healthy approach to eating. The biggest change for me was to eliminate the refined carbohydrates in my diet. Refined carbohydrates were replaced with whole grains. White rice, pasta, potatoes, bagels and most breads were out. I started combining two whole grain sugarless cereals Uncle Sams & Ezekielalong with a hard-boiled egg for breakfast, which usually kept me sated until noon. Lunch now consists of a healthy salad topped with tuna, chicken or salmon. If I have a sandwich, it's always on multi-grain bread with unprocessed fresh meat or fish.

Read more:
How I Beat Diabetes

A 2007 Cornell study showed that 70% of brides-to-be feel the need to lose weight before their wedding date, many of whom are employing means such as fad diets and extreme weight loss techniques that have the very real possibility of ill effects and health complications. RedCircle offers brides an alternative to unhealthy fad and yo-yo dieting and the only guarantee in Houston that brides will reach their goal and fit comfortably into the wedding gown of their dreams without sacrificing their health or sanity.

Houston, Texas (PRWEB) September 30, 2012

"We know how important it is for brides to look and feel their very best on their wedding day. There is nothing like finding the perfect dress, only to put it on and realize that it is a bit too tight in the hips or that it cannot be zipped all the way," said Suzi Spiering, R.D.Clinical Nutritionist and Director of Coaching at RedCircle. "We want women to know there are healthy options for losing weight and feeling great. Our doctors, dieticians and coaches at RedCircle are here to help her meet her goal, each and every step of the way."

RedCircle's weight loss program for brides is an innovative plan that allows brides-to-be to take the guesswork out of losing weight, keeping it off and looking picture perfect for their wedding day and beyond. Wedding Gown Slim Down is based on RedCircle's Core Program, which begins with a comprehensive health evaluation, genetic blueprint, cardiometabolic testing and lifestyle evaluation to determine which diet and exercise plan will work best for each client. The seven-part scientific system also features supplements, personal training, accountability and meal planning, as well as a weekly progress review of each client by RedCircle's team of doctors and staff to guarantee success.

RedCircle's comprehensive approach to weight loss for brides is more than just a quick fix or a camouflaging of problem areas. With both the Core and Wedding Gown Slim Down Programs, each client learns how their body reacts to exercise and different diets, which foods work best with their genetic makeup and why some diets do not work for everybody. Because it is much more than a standard food-based diet plan, RedCircle's weight and wellness programs are designed to boost metabolism, promote and maintain weight loss, and improve cardiovascular health.

RedCircle is also affiliated with Amerejuve, Houstons #1 MedSpa, to offer beautifying services for Houston brides with their Beautiful Bride Packages. Medspa services included in the packages are laser hair removal, body contouring and cellulite reduction with VelaShape and SmartLipo, facial refining and rejuvenation, dermal fillers and BOTOX, as well as LATISSE for full, long, dark lashes. Visit http://www.amerejuve.com/beautifulbride or call 713-960-6262 for more information.

RedCircle also recently launched the Teen Weight Management Program, which allows teens to take matters into their own hands, lose weight, learn positive eating and exercise habits, and effectively lower their risk for lifelong issues that stem from being overweight or obese. The Teen Weight Management program features the same components as the Core Program, with the exception of supplements, but offers teens exercise equipment of their choosing. Visit http://www.myredcircle.com for more information.

About RedCircle:

RedCircle Personalized Weight Management Inc. is a subsidiary of American Rejuvenation Centers headquartered in Houston, Texas. Supported by cutting edge medical technology and distinguished doctors, RedCircle is a Personalized Weight Management Program based on an individuals resting metabolism, genetic blueprint, cardiometabolic status, fitness, activity and stress levels, and lifestyle. Unlike the one-size-fits-all diet programs in the weight loss industry which only focus on dietary intake, RedCircle is a personalized program and goes beyond dietary interventions. For more information on RedCircle, please visit http://www.myredcircle.com or call 713-781-7332.

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Link:
Wedding Weight Loss Guarantee: RedCircle Announces 'Wedding Gown Slim Down'

Thinking about shedding some weight and getting fit before the New Year? Thanks to your smartphone and the wide world of the Internet, it's never been easier to adopt, track and maintain a healthy lifestyle. From digital diaries to more sophisticated constructs like Gympact, digital tools are at your disposal, motivating you to lose that gut and up your fitness level.

[More from Mashable: Is Your Kid Ready for a Cellphone?]

But any good health expert will tell you that physical activities are only half of the equation. In order to prime your body for weight loss, muscle gain and higher energy levels, you must also watch your nutrition levels and maintain a healthy diet. And while there's no panacea for getting rid of the excess poundage you've accumulated (thanks to late nights of dollar beers and taquito platters), there are a melange of diets to suit your specific needs. The best part, of course, is that there's no nutritionist, meal delivery or book required -- these dieting platforms will help you lose weight and keep it off at roughly the price of a large coffee.

[More from Mashable: You Wont Expect to Find Tablets in These 4 Workplaces]

Here's a roundup of some standout diet apps, based on some popular dieting methods. What's your go-to diet application or software? Let us know in the comments.

Perhaps the most popular system to keep track of calories, MyFitnessPal is essentially a comprehensive food dictionary and diary that assists in the raw numbers of calories-in, calories-out dieting. Simply type in your height and weight, your average exercise level and your goal weight, and MyFitnessPal will set a recommended daily amount of calories to safely lose those pounds.

While it doesn't offer recipes, MyFitnessPal stores the nutritional information of an amazing number of food items, both store-bought and at popular chain restaurants. For example, a simple type of "Denny's Grand Slam Breakfast" will yield multiple user-produced entries for the popular breakfast meal, including optional additions such as hash browns and pancakes. MyFitnessPal tries to take the headache out of calorie counting by providing as many of these items as possible, and for the most part, it succeeds. The app does require an active commitment, though, so don't expect it to work miracles if you're less than inclined to record your intake (or fudge it).

MyFitnessPal is totally free, and operates in a comprehensive browser app and via every major smartphone carrier. The only investment you need to make is your own effort.

Another food and fitness diary, LoseIt! is a sleek and stylized program that relies on user input to accurately read and record the calorie count of every meal -- as well as exercise regiments. That sounds like a tall order, but LoseIt! incorporates an important feature to jumpstart your commitment to a healthy lifestyle: gamification.

From the moment you start your tailored diary program to the moment you achieve your first weight or maintenance milestone, LoseIt! awards badges for a user's hard work. The app also rewards for burning calories and longstanding trends; the "Inferno" badge, for example, rewards a user for "burning an amazing amount of calories for eight weeks in a row." In addition to badges, LoseIt! sends weekly motivational emails and progress tracks to keep users from derailing.

Link:
7 Digital Diet Solutions to Help You Lose Weight

The HCG Diet is one of the few out there that actually discourages exercise!

American Fork, Utah (PRWEB) September 30, 2012

Exercises that are considered safe to perform while on the HCG diet includes low-stress activities like Pilates and yoga, says founder Dave Sherwin. People have been wishing for years that they could lose weight without exercising and they actually can. In fact, the average weight loss with HCG diet drops is between one and three pounds each day with no exercise at all.

The diet is a natural diet, and whereas early versions of the HCG diet required individuals to inject themselves with the HCG, it is now available in oral drops. Individuals simply place the drops under their tongue and the product absorbs into their body. Clinical trials showed that HCG was most likely to target stubborn fat deposits like those in the thighs, abdomen and waist. In addition, average weight loss in 30 days was more than 28 pounds.

HCG EZ Drops offers a money-back guarantee as well as an on-staff doctor available to answer questions and provide tips on how to utilize the diet in the best possible way. Men and women who are interested in the HCG diet drops plan are invited to visit http://www.hcgezdrops.com to learn more about the diet and to determine whether its the best route for them or not.

John Pilmer Ez Wellness 888-385-7750 Email Information

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New Natural Diet Plan Says “No Exercise!”

To cater to the changing dietary needs as one grows older, dieticians generally recommend a low fat, high protein and rich fibre diet for the elderly as the body mass and the metabolic rate in them reduces with age.

However, they emphasise that the diet needs to be individualised, based on the medical ailment that a person is suffering from. As a large number of elderly people suffer from ailments such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes or hypertension, they have certain diet restrictions which results in compromised diet. Therefore, they need to pay more attention to nutrition.

Swetha Subramanium, a nutritionist, says that a large number of elderly people have sedentary lifestyles, due to which they need to monitor their carbohydrate intake as per their lifestyle.

Manjari Chandra, nutrition expert and chief consultant of Nutritionist Republic, says that because most elderly people are in a degenerative stage, they require a good quantity of proteins.

She, however, adds that as the elderly people have low metabolism, they should consume lean proteins such as egg white, curd, milk and soya.

Nutritionists say that they should avoid large meals and ideally break their meals into five small ones a day and eat well cooked food. Priyanka Rohatgi, president of the Bangalore Chapter of the Indian Dietetic Association, says, They should maintain their meal timings, increase the frequency but reduce the volume. They should also avoid fasting and feasting. Elderly people are asked by nutritionists to cut down on their saturated fats, sweets, oily food and reduce their intake of salt and sugar. They should avoid eating spicy food as it could irritate their gastritis.

Dr. Subramanium mentions that they are asked to reduce their intake of non-vegetarian food as there are hard to digest. She says, Older people can consume non-vegetarian food such as chicken and fish in small quantities but they are asked to avoid eating other sea food and avoid mutton, pork and beef.

According to the World Health Organisation guidelines, as one grows older, nutrient needs may be affected. While the requirements of some nutrients may be reduced, the need for others may increase.

Dr. Rohatgi says that elderly people require more antioxidants such as Zinc, Vitamin A, Vitamin E and Vitamin D to prevent effects of aging. Dr. Subramanium, however, says that those with cardiac ailments can reduce their Vitamin K supplements which help in clotting blood. Vitamin K is generally present in food such as oats, soya and egg yolk.

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Diet tips for the elderly

Public release date: 1-Oct-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Cathy Campbell cathy@canadianstrokenetwork.ca 613-852-2303 Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada

The fat- and sugar-rich Western diet leads to a lifetime of health problems, dramatically increasing the risk of stroke or death at a younger age, according to a study presented today at the Canadian Stroke Congress.

Researchers found that a high-calorie, high-sugar, high-sodium diet nicknamed the 'cafeteria diet' induced most symptoms of metabolic syndrome a combination of high levels of cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure and obesity in rats after only two months.

The animals were at an age roughly equivalent to 16 to 22 years in humans at the time of disease onset, according to lead researcher Dr. Dale Corbett, scientific director of the Heart and Stroke Foundation Centre for Stroke Recovery.

"I think we'll soon start to see people in their 30s or 40s having strokes, having dementia, because of this junk food diet," says Dr. Corbett. "Young people will have major, major problems much earlier in life."

Researchers gave sedentary rats unlimited access to both nutritional food pellets and a daily selection of common junk food items including cookies, sausage and cupcakes. Animals were also given access to both water and a 30 per cent sucrose solution designed to imitate soft drinks. Like humans, the animals greatly preferred to consume the treats.

Dr. Corbett highlights the importance of preventing metabolic syndrome with regular exercise and a balanced diet. "We're not sure whether metabolic syndrome can be reversed. If it can't, and we continue to live and eat like this, then we're each a ticking time bomb of health problems."

"Metabolic syndrome and stroke are huge health concerns for the public," says Dr. Mark Bayley, Co-Chair of the Canadian Stroke Congress and Medical Director of the Neurological Rehabilitation Program at Toronto Rehab. "We cannot afford to continue making poor nutritional choices. Our diet is killing us."

In addition to warning the Canadian public about the health dangers of a poor diet, the researchers' study opens the door to further research. "Laboratory models often use relatively young animals who are healthier and on better diets than we are," says Dr. Corbett. "However, it is important to remember that for many people, the consequences would be even worse, since a lot of people with stroke also have pre-existing health problems."

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'Cafeteria diet' hastens stroke risk